Questions about our flag

Posted by richrobinson 9 years, 3 months ago to The Gulch: General
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I know a guy who volunteers to sing The Star Spangled Banner before local school sporting events. He is passionate about supporting the country and has developed quite a following and reputation so he is busy almost year round. He was telling me today how much the kids get into it but it is frustrating some of the questions he gets. He takes a ceremonial Flag with him and asks a student to hold it up while he sings. He said he is asked regularly:
Why are there stars on it?
Why are there stripes on it?
Why is there an eagle on the top of the pole?
He is happy to answer these questions but he wonders why they don't know this already. He does this for elementary thru high school so some of the kids are young but I wonder if these things are talked about at any level these days.

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  • Posted by Animal 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yesterday, Mrs. Animal and I were driving across western Wyoming when I overheard some truckers on CB channel 19 talking about Caitlyn Jenner. The conversation went something like this:

    (Voice 1) "I hear Caitlyn Jenner is getting a new Wheaties box."
    (Voice 2) "Yeah? No shit?"
    (Voice 3) "Well, that sure as hell will make me lose my appetite."

    We lol'ed.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I had one US Flag that went with me from overseas tour in the Army to the last. It was one of those flown over nations capitol flags. I referred to that and my excursions of recovering from shame. My sister unit still has it packed away somewhere. It's truly the tattered ensign I vowed never to let it enter Washington DC until the constitution was recovered.- and I don't think that's going to happen in my lifetime Being out of the country I fly the host nation's flag to starboard and my own national flag off the stern.Except I run it up a topping left that comes down from the mast to the stern at half mast every fourth of july. i see others are starting to do the same thing.
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  • Posted by Steven-Wells 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    On national holidays, I usually fly three flags, the current 50 stars and 13 stripes, the 13 of each (stars in a circle), and the 15 of each (Star Spangled Banner). When the children in my neighborhood came around, they had lots of questions about the flags.
    "Why is there a circle on that flag? That one has 15 stripes! How did that happen?"
    And I gave them lots of answers. Over time, they got history (and science) lessons from me without knowing they were getting taught lessons, but they learned a lot and had fun in the process. Modern education has lost a lot of the show & tell curiosity element. The key is to engage the learner with something to make the content exciting.
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  • Posted by Steven-Wells 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Other common variations collectively go something like this:
    I led the pigeons to the flag of the United States of America
    And to the public where the witches stand
    One nation, invisible, with liberty, injustice for all.
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  • Posted by $ Suzanne43 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Right! Can't win. Guess that we should just stick with the one that we have. It has served us well for over two hundred years.
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  • Posted by blackswan 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    If you don't want to be "racist," you'd need a non-color for your flag. I guess snow is racist, as is coal.
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  • Posted by mia767ca 9 years, 3 months ago
    i was in scouting with my children...we go over everything, including the proper way to burn a flag that you take our of service and retire...
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  • Posted by blackswan 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I taught math for 5 years, and that's one of the reasons that I no longer do that. So, from NY to TX, we have the same problem.
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  • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 3 months ago
    As a current student, the flag has not been mentioned very often. The most common mention of our flag in my classes is that we do not have to say the pledge due to Supreme Court case West Virginia Board of Education vs. Barnett. We are not taught the history of the flag.
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  • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Thank you for teaching and attempting to improve my generation! I know too many teachers are exactly who you claim to be - a glorified babysitter. At least you try. They don't. They are safe in their job and they don't even attempt to teach.
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 9 years, 3 months ago
    Everything is lies about and hatred for America and it's founders by those that oppose freedom and full responsibility by 180.

    It's purposed...not to teach the true history of America because those lazy, incompetent, criminal and without a mind would be left by the wayside unable to compete with the kind of honest value creators our founding fathers knew we could be if empowered to be so.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    good ole 11+ education! In the USA you are hard pressed to find people who know the name of the country to our south - not counting Canada with is the northern most country to our south. Let's run a test and see if they had to google time is now 1:17PM Zulu

    Five minutes no response...1:22
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Appropos of nothing whatsoever in the signal Flags solid yellow is the letter Q which should take care of the two other issues. Suzannes and Confused.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The issues were different, but the ideology was the same I started as a student teacher but quit after 6 months & never went back to it after college.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    A second grade class in Cohassett Minnisovieta. 1952. The teacher kept hearing something odd at the morning flag ceremony. Each day she would position herself in a different spot and then bingo!
    One little boys voice, as trained by his older brothers, rang out stout and clear. "with liberty and orange juice for all."

    My Mom was the teacher.... it was my first Caddie Woodlawn experience which happened in fourth grade.If at first you don't suck eggs fry fry a hen. the book was changed by the PC crowd.

    Truth out of the mouths of babes....
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  • Posted by $ Suzanne43 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Good point, Herb! But how do you expect teachers to teach American history. They are too busy teaching about global warming, endangered species, gun control, and other liberal causes.
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  • Posted by BenFrank 9 years, 3 months ago
    It isn't just the kids or the school system on this issue. It has been bothering me for quite a while that our local post office leaves the flag up at night unlighted. Protocol is to lower the flag by sunset or shine a light on it. I went in and mentioned it to the staff. I got crickets. No comments, no defense of action. Just stared vacantly at me. I'm writing to the post master today. I will let you know if I ever here back. Very disheartening.
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  • Posted by $ Suzanne43 9 years, 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    LOL! Yellow still might not work...would be promoting the Chinese. So, yellow could be considered racist.
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  • Posted by $ jdg 9 years, 3 months ago
    Those trivia of symbolism are forgotten because the reasons America was a country to be proud of are becoming forgotten too.

    As for the pledge -- it should not be regarded as patriotic. It was something socialists imposed on us in the 20th century (originally along with the straight-arm salute).
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago
    Another poster told a story about the Iwo Jima flag and the statue with the Marines. "Why is there an extra pair of hands?" The poster was doing an annual tour with students and he replied The hand of God.
    If i remember one of the students father was former Marine and politely corrected the guide. "It was the hand of the Gunny."

    Semper Fi from the Army.
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